Hello! We've moved!

Check out the new blog at www.yesanother.com!  Still me covering lifestyle, travel, and acting.

Winter Florida Getaway: Islamorada and Sarasota

Oh, the satisfying anticipation of heading to warmer weather when the city is a frozen mess. It's this annoying thing we do here : Bye New Yorkers, enjoy the frostbite!

image via naoligo.com

Then we come right back and join the misery. Ha ha. 

 Andrew had work in Sarasota, and we decided that a) I'd tag along- free lodging! and b) we would go earlier and check out the Keys. Well, our smug little happy dance got checked when we saw the 80 degree temps the day before our departure dipping to 50-60 degree welcome weather for our arrival. 

Skincare Empties and Reviews

This post is heavy on Ole Henriksen products.  My cousin Linda loves her beauty and skincare, and she generously gives away her extras to the family. And she had some Ole Henriksen extras. A perfect opportunity for me to try out the line!

Life in Pics: Rooney Mara, Tacos, and the Best Shabu Shabu Ever

Yes, we had a blizzard! I'm sure your social media timeline was assaulted with billions of snow photos.  I thought it was beautiful!

Hello, Ansonia.

And if you read my past post, you know that I got to reap some of the benefits of getting snowed in.  A free stay at The Palace Hotel.  

View outside the window

I wish all of my girlfriends could have joined me in the hotel room. We could have reenacted the sleepover scene from 13 Going on 30.  "Love is a battlefield!"

image via hollywoodjesus.com

My 2 Years with ClassPass! One Fee, Various Studios

Here's my fitness background. I did not have regularly scheduled workouts until 2014. Yes, that means that most of my adult life was spent NOT being active.  Eek.

I had gym memberships, but my money was basically a donation since I hardly ever went.  Gyms were boring so I would try out a fun studio here and there, but my budget would only allow for a class or two. These NYC prices are pretty steep! We are talking on average $25-35/class. Even if you buy a package deal, it can be an investment. For example, Barry's Boot Camp is $35/class. The 10-pack is still $320. And that's without taxes, my friends.

Then came ClassPass with its monthly membership fee which includes access to a huge network of fitness studios worldwide.  The fee is $79-$125 depending on your location. 

You can take a class at any of the hundreds of participating studios. Try them all if you want! You can visit a specific studio up to 3 times per monthly cycle. And if you decide that you want to attend more than 3 classes at a studio, you can buy the extra classes through ClassPass at a preferred rate. 

This meant I could do Barry's Boot Camp for less. Yes! 

(You guys, it's a crazy good workout.)

A Look Inside Korean Beauty Store Tony Moly

When I was younger, I used to watch in amazement (and a bit of incredulity) as my mom went through her nightly skincare routine.  She'd slather on layer after layer of lotions and essences. If you are confused about that term essence, I understand.  I used to think it was some Korean English-sounding skincare line.  For clarification, here is an awesome guide to the difference between toner, serum, essence, and ampoules.  

Anyway, that weird word essence got reintroduced into my life with the recent Korean beauty craze.  And I got bitten by the bug.  Yes, I follow the 10-step Korean skincare routine! <---must read

So I was jumping up with joy when I saw that Tony Moly opened up a store in the city. This brand sells insanely cute products at affordable prices. I love Sephora's description of the items as "criminally cute"! See for yourselves!

Eggs-ellent recipes!

I didn't realize until recently how much I really enjoy eating eggs.  It started out as the easy go-to boiled eggs for meals and snacks. Then I began ordering egg dishes when I went out to restaurants.

Kimchi Deviled Egg from Sobban, which unfortunately closed.

Duck egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich from Graze

Eggs Benedict at City Crab Shack

Slow-poached eggs with quinoa, parmesan, and asparagus from The NoMad.

My first Scotch egg at The Breslin. 

Instructions on how to make them here. It's #4.

  

We even prepared eggs in fun ways for breakfast.

This is called Eggs with Soldiers. Our friend made this for us, and the yolk was perfect for dipping! Recipe here.

I even ate balut--yes, developing duck embryo.  Remember that? 

I will leave you with additional links to explore the beauty of eggs.

25 Delicious Ways to Eat Dinner by Buzzfeed

44 Favorite Recipes Ever by Bon Appetit

What are your favorite egg dishes? I'm hungry!

xo,

Erica

#tbt to Oahu

In the middle of placing old photos into albums and scrapbooks, I came across these memories from my first trip to Hawaii back in 2004-2005ish. I went with my boyfriend at the time, and we drove a Jeep throughout the island of Oahu.

That's me.  I don't know where I was heading.

We went to Hanauma Bay.

I don't have many photos of me in Hawaii. In the few that I have, my eyes are closed. 

I was so excited to try out my disposable underwater camera.  To my disappointment, there was barely any marine life to capture on my nifty Kodak.  I suspected that years of us tourists trampling the coral reef killed everything off.  Perhaps it was isolated to when I went and where I specifically snorkeled (since recent Yelpers seemed to enjoy it), but it was a colorless aquatic graveyard for me.  My underwater photos might as well have been taken in a tub full of dirty water.  

I still can't tell if that's aggressive behavior, as in "Get the hell out of my way!"  This was probably before my first surf lesson in Huntington Beach, CA. I was so carefree and enthusiastic about surfing then. Now I'm terrified of sharks. Ok, I still surf, but with fear.

Other highlights of the trip were the garlic shrimp at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck and Matsumoto Shave Ice.  I also got in trouble for wearing my bikini top and shorts at a breakfast buffet. Guess I took the beach casual dress code too far. Some poor employee in a full-on suit at the Japanese-owned hotel had to politely let me know (that I was trash).  It was very uncharacteristic of me because a) bathing suits are not my best friend- I wear it to swim and tan. Otherwise, clothes are going on top asap. b) Hello! I'm at a buffet. I have been known to hang out at Las Vegas buffets for 3+ hours. Why would I want to wear only a bikini top when my gut is hanging out? 

Ah, 2004-2005 Erica. What an idiot.

Anyway, I would love to return to Hawaii one day and visit the other islands. Have you been to Hawaii? What are your favorite spots? 

xo,

Erica

Working on SNL During a Snow Blizzard = Free Stay at The Palace Hotel

While the city shut down on Saturday and I imagined people making it a Netflix and Chill kinda night, I was traipsing around Manhattan.

Late Thursday evening, I received a text for possible background work on Saturday Night Live. Background/extras means the randoms you see in those SNL sketches or digital shorts. This would be my second time working on SNL. The first was a digital short with Ryan Gosling. This is us before we all broke out into the Thriller dance. Can you spot me in my awesome YouTube screenshot? You can watch the short here.

Asian Beauty Products Giveaway!

Asian Beauty Products Giveaway! A great opportunity for you to try Asian skincare and makeup if you've never tried...or enter if you just love them! 

To enter: 

Like this page on FB and tell me what your favorite beauty product OR food is (I love both!) in the comments below the post.

Additional ways to enter at the end of this post via Twitter/Instagram.

Deadline: The contest closes at 11:59 pm EST on Sun Jan 31, 2016. I will be announcing a winner on Feb 1, 2016! 🎉

US mailing addresses only (Sorry, guys! Starting domestic!)

TonyMoly: I'm Real Aloe Mask Sheet, Magic Food Banana Sleeping Pack, Peach Anti-Aging Hand Cream, 1 Nose Pack, Mizon Returning Starfish Cream, Peripera: Heart Glow CC Cream, Peri's Fitting Curling Mascara, Rouge Pang in Courteous, Lumi Pang in XXX, and some samples :Goodal Phytowash Yerba Mate Bubble Peeling, Boscia's Cool Cleansing and Oil Detoxifying Black Cleanser, Dr. G Aquasis Water Vital Sleeping Mask.

Review of some of the products in my previous post:http://bit.ly/1ZHYEGj

You can also follow me on Twitter @yesanotherblog or Instagram @1llhaveanother. Following or liking an account PLUS a comment counts as an entry each. So you can be entered up to 3 times via following me on Instagram with a comment, following on Twitter with a tweet, and liking on Facebook with a comment. 3 entries max per person. 

Good luck!! 

Erica

❤

Review of my Korean beauty haul: Mizon, Peripera, Tony Moly, and Goodal!

Behind the Scenes at Stephen Colbert, Making Blackened Cajun Mahi-Mahi, and More

Hi, everyone! I hope you have been enjoying Martin Luther King, Jr Day.  I'm loving this quote from Dr. King: "The time is always right to do what is right".  Today's King Day rally in South Carolina was the first at the Dome in 17 years without the presence of the Confederate flag. Pretty sweet.

It has been a while since I wrote a week recap post, so I just wanted to catch up a bit with you guys!

The highlights of the week were auditioning for a new AMC show and going to the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Olivia Munn had an original fan club way back when she did Attack of the Show, and they were a great bunch that welcomed me.  Since then, I have been to several events she arranged for her fans to join. I wrote a post on a past movie premiere of "I Don't Know How She Does It" (in which I had a scene with Olivia, but my head got cut off. Frame-wise. Not literally). 

Anyway, she invited some of us to Stephen Colbert.  A double whammy! I love love love both of them.  And I had been to The Colbert Report before, but this was going to be my first time at his new show and at the Ed Sullivan Theater!

Me looking uber fashionable here. I was actually wearing different shoes and wardrobe earlier, but it was freezing outside! As ugly as UGGs are, they are so warm!

We weren't allowed to take photos inside the actual studio area, but here is a pic right outside of it. It was a holding area to inform us about the rules and expectations. We had VIP tix, but we seemed to have general seating.  I believe the perk was no waiting outside in the long line; you just showed up at a certain time and got escorted inside. I appreciated that! Like I said, it was cold. 

First of all, the studio is beautiful. Gorgeous! 

To give you an idea...someone else's photo of inside.

image via nytimes.com

You can currently watch the episode of the Late Show here.  But below are some things that happened that won't be shown on the episode.

Some comedian named Peter came out to "warm up" the crowd. Omg. He was kind of out of control.  He asked a husband and wife duo to come up to the front.  When he found out it was the wife's birthday, he immediately asked her how old she was.  Offended, she looked at him and said, "Really?!" When she gave in and told her she was 67, he seemed genuinely impressed and requested that she take her top off. She was not amused. The next couple of seconds were dedicated to complimenting her amazing "pillows". Yay.  He then asked a black woman to come up to "add color to the stage".  Wow. She was this deadpan hilarious woman, and Peter even had to tell her to let him do his job. 

Peter noticed a guy with the "most fabulous hair". He asked for a name, and the owner of said fabulous hair had Lau as a last name. Peter then went "Of course" and waved his hand over his own face as in "Yes, your Asian face".  Oh, and then Peter added that Mr. Lau looked like a crackhead. 

So basically, I was sinking down in my seat and praying that I would not be Peter's next victim. I guess it's like when you're a possible target at a standup show. 

The show's band made of Jon Batiste and Stay Human warmed us up, too.  The tambourine guys got a little too rock and roll and smashed their instruments on the ground. Pieces flew everywhere. You should have seen the stagehands' faces with their hands out like DUDE, WTF. They had to clean up the mess before the actual taping.

Then the Almighty Colbert came out to answer a couple of audience questions. The first question asked was "Why do you only wear one suit?" This totally cracked him up.  If you watch the show, you will see him emphasize his "many suits".  If you hear us laughing really hard, then you know why. Colbert is brilliant. 

During Olivia's interview, I don't think the part where Colbert texted her mom was rehearsed!

I don't want to spoil it, but there is a part of the show that involves egg yolk. I don't think Colbert was ready for that. When the segment was done, wardrobe was furiously trying to scrub all of it out.

Before Colbert filmed his introduction of Father John Misty, he told the lead singer that he looked like a cult leader. Telling it like it is!

image via guardian.com

Stephen Colbert is PERFECT. Well nearly.  For the few times he messed up (seriously like 3), they went back and filmed him saying that word or phrase.  Just those few seconds.  It was neat to see!

I would definitely go back again to watch the live show. The experience was very entertaining and NOT drawn out.  I'm just going to wait for the weather to warm up before waiting in line!

*****

One of my goals this year is to cook something new once a week.

The challenge was Paleo Blackened Cajun Mahi-Mahi with grilled asparagus. <----recipes linked

Making my rub!

The frozen Mahi-Mahi from Costco has been great for dinner these days!  I added lemon to the fish and stuck it back in the refrigerator to marinate while I cooked the asparagus.

My mistake: Trying to cover up the entire surface area with a thick layer of the rub.  You can imagine how BOLD the flavor was.

Thank God we had rice.  It helped balance out the super flavorful fish.  A light layer of rub next time, and it will be A++++!

*****

I'll end this post with some yumminess from The Melt Shop.

Their shop tots are delightful!  Beautiful crispy tater tots sprinkled with parmesan goodness.  Just get ready for the fragrance of stinky gym socks. Mmmmm.

image via mrclements.com

The grilled chicken, Muenster, tomatoes, and truffle mayo on multigrain toast. THE MAYO, guys! It was magical.  It is not a light meal, my friends. But when you're in the mood to indulge, come here.

PS. Grab lots of napkins. Your fingers will be covered in buttery residue.

xo,

Erica

My Passion Planner and Other Planners For 2016

Yes, it's already mid-January.  But it's not too late to get more organized.  In addition, you get to take advantage of discounted prices as sellers/stores are trying to get rid of 2016 planners.  

I started this year with my first Passion Planner for $29.99.

The Time I Played a Cross Dressing Male Prostitute

In this video, Jennifer Lawrence talks about auditioning for the role of a girl named Emily C., her agent telling her she booked it, and then finding out she actually got the role of a basketball mascot. Yes, she wore the whole costume with the wildcat head. That was her first IMDb credit.

It reminded me of the time I booked something ENTIRELY different from the role for which I auditioned.  A while back, I attended this huge cattle call casting for a comedy.  I auditioned for the role of a wife in a dramatic scene in front of a table full of people. Similar to the set up of "American Idol" auditions. I felt so legitimate, y'all.

A couple of days later, I received a call from production informing me that I didn't book the role of the wife because they thought there was another part that was perfect for me. The role was called Beautiful Woman.

Awww. That's flattering, I thought.  The producer would send me sides later, and she asked if I wanted the job. I was super pumped! I wasn't going on regular auditions, and here was a producer offering me this job. YES! Send those sides right on over!

The sides came. I read the script.

I soon realized that I am not just Beautiful Woman. I am "Beautiful Woman" in quotations because spoiler alert: I am really a man. And a prostitute.

That was completely unexpected. And hilarious.  Come on.  I totally envisioned that I was going to play some classy and glamorous dolled up beautiful woman like Audrey Hepburn.  So the contrasting reality of the situation was funny.

I asked people for advice about the role and went back and forth about it in my head. It's not that a transgender/transvestite prostitute is a "bad" character. But is the role right for me? How did I feel about scenes that are sexual in nature? How would it impact my acting career?  But then I reminded myself that I didn't have an acting career. That would be "career" in quotations.

I decided that the role wouldn't dictate my future in acting. It seemed highly doubtful that I would be typecast.

Cut to casting office: "Heeeeey, aren't you that girl who always plays cross dressing male prostitutes?"

So I accepted the part and got excited to film the movie.  I had so much fun with the cast and crew. You guys, the makeup artist gave me a 5 o'clock shadow.

Yes, the job offer made me wonder if I gave off a transvestite or transgender woman vibe. I think I certainly can.

In this picture on set during another project...hellooo. I absolutely pull off the transgender woman look.

Hey, if I had the opportunity to do a role as juicy as Jared Leto's part in "Dallas Buyers Club", I'm taking it!

My Multiple Attempts at Parchment-Baked Fish

I found this awesome recipe from Chrissy Teigen's blog "So Delushious" for fish en papillote-that's fancy French for "in parchment packet".  I was super excited because my husband is very into healthy fish dishes.  Even though he's Italian, he prefers not to have pasta for dinner (Yes, I find this disturbing).

It is SO freaking easy. And I'll prove it to you with my take on the original recipe.

New Year's Resolutions

Hey, everyone! I hope your 2016 has started off well. I haven't put a lot of thought into my resolutions yet, but I can already tell you two eating habits I plan to change.

Goal 1a) Stick to ordering ONE entree. #fbf because that was my past life.

Goal 1b) Don't order food that is bigger than you.

I know. What mind blowing secrets to dieting. 

What are your resolutions?